border crossing deaths

February 28, 2011 (Pine Valley ) –“This is a grim example of human smugglers’ disregard for life. They place profits over life,” Ralph Desio, U.S. Customs & Border Protection (CBP) public affairs specialist said of a tragedy this weekend.

Acting on a report from the San Diego Sheriff of eight people lost in a winter snowstorm near Sunrise Highway in the Pine Valley Area, the CBP activated its Border Search Trauma and Rescue Team.

February 21, 2011 (Descanso)-- Sheriff’s deputies, U.S. Border Patrol agents and CalFire personnel responded to a call of a dead body in rural Descanso around 7:15 a.m. Authorities found a Hispanic man dead at the scene. He may have been with a group of illegal border crossers who entered the U.S. this weekend during sub-freezing temperatures.

A man hospitalized in San Diego has identified a woman found dead in the same area as his wife. He told authorities that members of the group became separated from each other near Descanso. U.S. Border Patrol agents are now searching the area for other potential victims, said Lt. Dennis Brugos with the Sheriff’s homicide detail.

Update: The injured man, Anastasio Hernandez, died Saturday. The County Medical examiner's office listed high blood pressure, methamphetamine use, and the physical altercation with officers as contributing factors in his death.

May 29, 2010 (San Diego) – San Diego Police homicide detectives are investigating the serious injury of a 32-year-old Mexican border crosser. Following a struggle, a Border Patrol agent used a Taser to subdue the suspect, who quit breathing and is not expected to survive, according to SDPD.